They say that all good things must come to an end and for AAC Falls Creek, it is true. Andrew and Myra are moving on after ten amazing years as our Lodge Managers.
For many of us it will be hard to believe it’s been ten years, but it’s true. I’m sure for Andrew and Myra, all those early mornings, all the bed-making and all the cleaning makes it feel well and truly like ten years!
With Andrew and Myra being Lodge Managers for so long, we all got to know them (along with Reeve, Deb and Russell) pretty well, so we couldn’t let them move on without a few of our strongest memories being mentioned.
First up has to be Andrew’s shorts, right? When you see someone flying down the Summit in shorts, you know immediately who it is. When someone on the lift next to you says, “who’s that idiot wearing shorts when it’s minus 2 degrees”, you proudly turn to them say, “That’s Andrew our Lodge Manager, and if you haven’t tried it, don’t knock it!!”. What you might not know is that Andrew even made his own personal tool belt to suit his shorts! No overalls here, he was often seen skating from job to job on the mountain, with hammers, chisels, tape measure and screwdrivers all clinking and clunking away getting as he made his way around the village.
Next thing about Andrew is his cleaning. Man can the guy clean! Not satisfied with even the most fastidious cleaning by us members, or even Myra or Deb, Andrew just HAD to re-clean the same area to ensure it was “Risty Clean”! And we can’t not mention Andrew’s personal transport machine during snow season, the Axtrack. What I bet you didn’t know is that he bought it for the price of a pot of beer! I’ve heard of “buy me a drink and I’ll love you forever”, but I’ve never heard of “buy me a drink and you can have my Axtrack!”
And now on to Myra. No Myra you don’t get off that easily! We all love how comfortable Myra is in the lodge and wearing her PJ’s in the dining room showed just how comfortable Myra was around us all. Did you know that the year that Myra was pregnant, we hardly saw her? Everyone was asking “where’s Myra” and of course Andrew said nothing. It wasn’t until the committee meeting in September that Myra let on that she was pregnant and the reason why she wasn’t being seen was because the poor thing was suffering so badly with morning sickness! But it was all worth it, with the little bundle of joy that you both produced, and in doing so providing so much entertainment for members who got to play with Reeve whilst staying at the Lodge.
One thing we did notice, Myra, was the VIP treatment we all seemed to get once we made it known to the oversnow guys that we were from AAC! Once you made it clear you were going to “Myra’s place” it was like magic, you would be plucked out of the queue, brought to the front and be put onto the first available oversnow! I’m going to miss that! The other thing we’ll miss, Myra, is the annual Jam run where you and Deb would deliver abundant jars of every which flavour of jam you ever wanted. Yum!
The key memory I think everyone has from Andrew and Myra’s tenure is just how much they made you feel at home. If you didn’t know how something worked, they would take you through it. Wanted some advice on where to eat out? No problem. Couldn’t get the TV to work because the snow had covered the Foxtel satellite dish? No problem, Andrew would clear the snow (yes, in his shorts) and the footy match coverage would come back on. Disaster averted. And race night dinners – they were always something to look forward to, no matter how bad your time down the course!
And it’s not just AAC where Andrew and Myra have left their mark, they are well known around the mountain for chipping in and helping out others. Whether it’s putting on wood fired pizza nights, or attending SES call outs, they’re the first to help. Andrew, Myra and Reeve will continue to reside at the Lodge for the immediate future, keeping an eye on things and continuing to chip in on the mountain as they always do.
So, from all AAC Falls Creek Members and our Guests, we want to say a heartfelt THANK YOU to Andrew and Myra. We wish you all the very best in the next chapter of your lives and we hope to see you both, along with Reeve and Deb and Russell at the Club in 2021 and beyond.
THANK YOU!
